There is no existing device that allows flipping-over of batches of packages flowing in a continuous stream without breaking such package stream. Instead, it is well known in the art to stack such boxes for packing and in this respect it is necessary for stability to ensure that the height of the stack is substantially constant. Accordingly, in view of the variation in thickness as previously mentioned, it becomes important to vary the orientation of the packages to compensate for the difference in thickness. Such variation may be achieved in a number of ways as evidenced by the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,202 to Speggiorin et al discloses an apparatus for stacking packages or folded boxes which involves preparing individual stacks and flipping consecutive stacks such that they assume alternately and oppositely disposed directions thereby avoiding imbalance. U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,548 to Lukes et al also describes a similar proposal for rotating individual stacks in order to compensate for unevenness. U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,128 to Adams et al individual boxes are orientated alternately for the same purpose, namely to provide for substantial uniform height of the resultant bundle and thus stability. A further example of known apparatus for creating stable stacks of folded boxes is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,260 to Bensberg et al which teaches the interleaving of such boxes from two sides of a merging mechanism and U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,813 to Smith et al proposes the re-orientation of the boxes on an individual basis prior to final stacking and packing. All these examples require complex machinery usually dedicated to a particular size and shape of folded box; and furthermore, they are not compatible for use with existing packing and/or stacking machines that are usually fed with a continuous stream of packages of uniform thickness.
Therefore, a package flip-over device which alternately reorient batches of non-uniform thickness packages of the stream without breaking the same would prove to be useful to fit upstream of the existing packing machines. None of the existing devices allow such a formation of a stream of packages with alternating batches of flipped-over and unflipped packages, especially with the number of package(s) per batch being selectable by the operator.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved alternate package flip-over device for use in a stream or shingle of packages to flip-over alternate batches of packages of the stream.